West, TX Disaster

By: Sneha Ghattadahalli & Monique Ikihile

West, TX Disaster

By: Sneha Ghattadahalli & Monique Ikihile

Summary of the Disaster

On April 17, 2013, an explosion occurred at the West Fertilizer Company storage and distribution facility in West, Texas, 18 miles north of Waco while emergency services personnel were responding to a fire at the facility.At least 15 people were killed, more than 160 were injured and more than 150 buildings were damaged or destroyed. The cause of the blast is as yet unknown.The facility caught fire on April 17, 2013, then exploded as firefighters were attempting to douse the flame.The blast damaged the nearby West Rest Haven nursing home and many residents were evacuated. Many of the nursing home residents received cuts from flying glass, but emergency personnel on scene judged that most of these injuries were not life-threatening

Food & Water

Red Cross workers are also providing food, water, emotional support, health services and relief items such as comfort kits to those affected by the explosion in West, Texas. During the next few days, Red Cross workers will be coordinating with local officials to open and support a joint assistance center to provide resources for those affected. The Red Cross has also shipped 175 blood products to hospitals in the area to help the injured. To date, more than 200 workers have served nearly 13,000 meals and snacks, handed out hundreds of relief items such as blankets and comfort kits, and provided hundreds of mental health and health services to those in need. Chaos in the streets of American cities is absolutely a possibility when you factor in the ridiculously poor economy with roughly 50 million people on food stamps and the potential for the situation to implode at any moment.

The Fertilizer Explosion

The Plant Explosion

This is what it looked like when the fertilizer plant exploded.

During the explosion

This was what that was happeninig during the explosion as the diaster left behind alot of distruction.

After The Storm

This is what the diaster left behind.And this was all the distruction from the explosion.Everything was damaged .

The Plant Explosion

This is what it looked like when the fertilizer plant exploded.

During the explosion

This was what that was happeninig during the explosion as the diaster left behind alot of distruction.

After The Storm

This is what the diaster left behind.And this was all the distruction from the explosion.Everything was damaged .

Energy That Caused The Disaster

Nuclear Energy

A fire anywhere is cause for concern, but a fire at a fertilizer plant is a potential catastrophe.That's because ammonium nitrate, a chemical commonly used in agricultural fertilizers, is a highly explosive compound, as shown by the massive fireball at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, Wednesday (April 17).Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are essential plant nutrients, and fertilizers are graded by the amounts of these elements the fertilizers contain, also called their "NPK rating" (from those elements' abbreviations on the periodic table)But ammonium nitrate has a potentially lethal downside: If it comes into contact with an open flame or other ignition source, it explodes violently. The explosive force occurs when solid ammonium nitrate decomposes very rapidly into two gases, nitrous oxide and

water vapor..

Ecosystem And Abiotic Factors Effected

The number of people who died in a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, last week now stands at 15, officials said Tuesday. Some earlier reports had indicated that 14 people had lost their lives. At least 200 more were injured.The latest death toll comes as investigators continue to study the catastrophe and the fire that preceded it. The explosion left a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep, investigators said Tuesday.Some of the abiotic factors that were affected by the explosion was the soil,atmosphere and also some other material.

Ecosystem And Biotic Factors Effected

Only 35 plants were killed in the explosion.Also some 35 people including 10 first responder were killed. Moments after the fertilizer plant exploded, several dogs standing in their yards were killed by the concussion from the blast, but many more escaped and ran. There have been some happy reunions, but many residents are still frantically looking for their lost companions — scores of cats and dogs, even birds and rabbits

Death of Humans

Estimated five to 15 deaths, among them the three to five firefighters who initially responded to the plant fire. More than 160 people suffered injuries such as broken bones, bruises, lacerations, respiratory distress, and some head injuries and minor burns